Depth Charts

Center Kyle Turris says he and the Senators will perform better Sunday, when their first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens shifts to Ottawa.

The Sens are down 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. But Turris said Saturday: "We're confident. We played them (the Canadiens) well during the season. There's a couple of things we need to work on the past couple of games. We talked about it and we'll be better [Sunday]." Montreal has lost eight of its past 10 games in Ottawa, including both road games in a five-game series loss to the Senators in an Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Ottawa Senators have inked Mika Zibanejad to a two-year, $5.25 million deal.

Zibanejad would have become a restricted free agent as his entry-level contract expired. The 22-year-old forward took a moderate step forward last season with 20 goals and 46 points in 80 contests. It wouldn't be surprising to once again set career-highs in 2015-16.

He didn't make his season debut with Ottawa until Dec. 17, but down the stretch he became a valuable member of the team's third line. The 22-year-old forward posted 10 goals and 19 points in 50 games last campaign.

Zack Smith will tag in for David Legwand on Wednesday night in Game Four against Montreal.

The Senators are down 3-0 in the series, and desperately need a spark offensively. Smith probably won't net any points, as he has just three in 23 career playoff games. But he also owns 46 PIMs in that time.

Curtis Lazar is hoping to contribute more offensively in his sophomore season.

Lazar had six goals and 15 points in 67 games with the Ottawa Senators in 2015-16. "I expect a lot of myself," he said. "That first year, the points didn't come, but I didn't expect the points to come. It was a learning year for me and I played it safe for the majority of the year. I really wanted to gain the coach's trust. This year I'm going to take more risks. I'm going to shoot the puck more and play with that confidence and swagger we talked about the second half of the year, scoring those three goals in six games." Lazar wants to eventually establish himself as a top-six forward. He certainly has untapped offensive upside, but we're hesitant to get too optimistic about the prospect of him having much fantasy value in standard leagues next season.

The Ottawa Senators were eliminated from the postseason after they dropped a 2-0 decision to the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday.

The Senators were the better team in this contest, but they were unable to solve Carey Price. Ottawa appeared to score when Carey Price fumbled a puck that Jean-Gabriel Pageau put into the net, but the referee blew the whistle too quickly. Clarke MacArthur was one of Ottawa's more dangerous forwards on Sunday. He finished the night with a minus-1 rating, two penalty minutes, five shots on goal and seven hits in 20:39 of ice time. The Senators and their fans should be proud of what they were able to accomplish in the second half of the season and the playoffs.

Milan Michalek got credit for the first goal of the series after Montreal defenseman Andrei Markov put the puck in his own net.

With Mark Stone absent from practice Thursday, Michalek took his spot alongside Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur. Stone sustained a wrist fracture in Game 1 and his status for the rest of the series is unknown.

It looks like the Ottawa Senators probably won't buy out Colin Greening's contract.

Instead, the Senators are more likely to bundle Greening in a trade with a goaltender. Getting rid of Greening would clear $2.65 million annually in cap space through 2016-17. He was limited to 26 games with the Senators in 2014-15 and finished with just one point.

Matt Puempel still isn't fully recovered from the high ankle sprain he suffered last season.

The 22-year-old played in 13 games with the Sens last year, and there's a realistic chance he will start the season with the big club if he's healthy. Puempel is taking part in the Senators' development camp, but he won't be participating in contact drills.

Bobby Ryan was happy to end his scoring slump in Friday's game five win over Montreal.

"When you're not scoring and you're a guy relied on to bring offence, I don't think there's a harder position to be in," said Ryan. "Hopefully it's a domino effect moving forward...it was a huge relief." Prior to Friday's two-goal performance, Ryan hadn't scored in 16 games and he has just one goal in his last 24 contests. If Ryan can start producing the numbers he's capable of, the Senators may have a real chance to come back and beat the Canadiens.

Mark Stone has signed a three-year, $10.5 million deal with the Ottawa Senators.

Stone wasn't taken until the sixth round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft and he's proven to be quite the bargain. After showing what he's capable of in the junior and minor levels, Stone scored 26 goals and 64 points in 80 games as a rookie last season. That was good enough to earn a Calder Trophy nomination, although the award went to defenseman Aaron Ekblad.

Chiasson had 26 points in 76 games last season, down from 35 points in 79 contests in 2013-14 when he was still with the Dallas Stars. "From the season I had the year before in Dallas, I thought I was going to come in and be more explosive, a little more offensive," Chiasson says. "Obviously that didn't happen. A lot has to do with confidence. It's hard when you get opportunities and feel like you can't finish. I think it's been a good summer for me to work on my legs, work on my speed." His struggles likely literally cost him as an arbitrator assigned him a $1.2 million salary for the 2015-16 campaign after he requested $2.475 million. The arbitrator's ruling was far closer to Ottawa's counter of $1 million.

Chris Neil, Jared Cowen, Matt Puempel, Colin Greening and David Legwand will be healthy scratches in Sunday's game six tilt versus Montreal.

The Senators will look to tie the series at three after dropping the first three games to the Canadiens. Ottawa's black aces are made up of: Fredrik Claesson, Chris Driedger, Derek Grant, Shane Prince, Buddy Robinson and Chris Wideman.

Erik Karlsson believes Ottawa's second-half surge is what allowed him to win the Norris Trophy, which is awarded to the league's top defenseman.

"It's a very special feeling" said Karlsson. "This would have never happened if we didn't go on that unbelievable run that we did and if we didn't have guys stepping up and playing the way they did. It wouldn't have allowed me to sit in the position I'm in today." The Senators captain generated seven goals and 25 points in his first 36 games prior to racking up 14 markers and 41 points in his final 46 contests.

Marc Methot believes that coming home will be a huge advantage for the Senators.

Ottawa dropped the first two games of the series in Montreal, but they will look to get back into it in game's three and four at home. "It’s nice to get back in our own beds, get a chance to regroup in front of our home crowd, so hopefully we will get a chance to get a couple of points out of it. Being able to play in front of our home crowd is, and should be, a huge advantage for our club."

The Ottawa Senators are hoping to see more progression from Jared Cowen next season.

Ottawa traded Eric Gryba to Edmonton so that Cowen could have a regular spot on the blue line. "It's a chance for Eric (Gryba) to go and get a chance to play a prominent role," said GM Bryan Murray after the draft. "It allows us to play Jared Cowen on a regular basis and it gets us down to seven defensemen. Murray added: "Cowen had the injury at the end and I believe he's going to be a really good defenceman in the league. Opening the door for him to get that spot was a big part of it."

Mark Borowiecki was credited with eight hits in Game 3's 2-1 overtime loss to Montreal.

"It was a fun game to be a part of," said Borowiecki despite the defeat, which puts Ottawa down 3-0 in the series. "A lot of energy in the building, fans gave us jump." Teammate Chris Neil led all skaters with nine body checks on Sunday night, as the Senators outhit the Canadiens by a 61-36 margin. Borowiecki sits second in the playoffs among defensemen with 17 hits after three contests.

"I'm thrilled. Anytime you get a chance to represent your country, it's pretty special," he said. "I never had the privilege of donning that jersey yet, so I'm really looking forward to the opportunity." He notched two goals and two assists during Ottawa's first-round loss to Montreal. During the regular season, Wiercioch produced 13 points in 56 games.

The Ottawa Senators are receiving calls about the availability of Craig Anderson.

ESPN.com reports that teams have inquired about both Robin Lehner and Craig Anderson, but that Lehner is the one most likely to be traded. Andrew Hammond may have pushed Ottawa into a playoff spot, but it became clear in the postseason that Anderson was still the best goalie on the roster. It’s not impossible that Anderson finds himself on a new team before the beginning of the 2015-16 season.

Andrew Hammond's new contract with the Ottawa Senators did not include a "no move" clause.

He said there were no job guarantees offered by the club, so there is a possibility that he could be involved in a trade. However, the preferred scenario would probably be to deal Robin Lehner to clear up Ottawa's crowded crease. Hammond was obviously excited about getting a three-year, one-way contract after he helped get the Senators into the playoffs and the team rewarded him for that.